GOP launches third attempt to break Speaker stalemate

House Republicans will embark on their third attempt to break the Speaker stalemate this week, heading back to square one as they huddle to pick a nominee for the top spot — and hope that their new candidate can muster enough support to win the gavel on the floor.

The conference reset comes after a majority of members voted to drop House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as their nominee after he failed to win the Speakership on three ballots, having bled support on each consecutive vote. Before that, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrew his name from the race as Jordan backers said they would not support him on the floor.

Now, nine Republicans are vying for the top spot. But it remains unclear if any of the candidates will be able to drum up the votes to secure the gavel on the House floor.

Tuesday marks exactly three weeks since eight Republicans joined Democrats in voting to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post, leaving the House without a Speaker.

On the Senate side, President Biden’s roughly $100 billion supplemental request — which includes money for Israel, Ukraine, the border and allies in the Indo-Pacific — will be a key focus, as the U.S. looks to aid its allies abroad. Senators are also nearing a deal on amendments for a “minibus” that would help resume consideration of the legislation. Senators return to the Capitol on Tuesday.

House GOP back to square one amid Speaker stalemate

House Republicans are scheduled to return to Washington this week to restart the process for nominating a Speaker candidate after the conference’s first two picks were rejected by lawmakers.

Nine Republicans are in the race: Reps. Tom Emmer (Minn.), Mike Johnson (La.), Gary Palmer (Ala.), Kevin Hern (Okla.), Byron Donalds (Fla.), Jack Bergman (Mich.), Austin Scott (Ga.), Pete Sessions (Texas) and Dan Meuser (Pa.).

On Monday night, Republicans will convene in the Capitol for their third candidate forum, where those vying for the gavel will have an opportunity to make their pitch to the rest of the conference.

Each candidate will receive two minutes to deliver introduction speeches, then there will be an hour-and-a-half of questions and answers, followed by one-minute closing speeches, a source familiar told Axios.

On Tuesday, the conference will hold an internal election to select their next nominee, which will be conducted by a secret ballot.

Emmer, currently the majority whip, is likely to surge ahead as an early front-runner in the race. The third-highest ranking Republican in the conference, Emmer has run in leadership races in the past, and he received a major boost even before announcing his candidacy: an endorsement from McCarthy.

“He knows how to do the job,” McCarthy told NBC’s “Meet the Press” about Emmer, adding, “We need to get him elected this week and move on, and bring not just party together, but focus on what this country needs most.”

McCarthy did, however, note that nominating Emmer is “going to be an uphill battle.”

In the past week of the Speaker standoff, Republicans have wondered which, if any, GOP lawmaker can muster enough support to win the gavel on the House floor.

“Getting 217 is obviously going to be very difficult and is the sort of Rubik’s Cube of the answer to all of this,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

One lawmaker is leading an effort to try and avoid another embarrassing showdown on the House floor over the party’s Speaker nominee. Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) is urging his colleagues to sign a pledge to back whomever the conference nominates in their internal election.

“Electing the next Speaker of the House will require unity from House Republicans,” Floor wrote in a statement. “This pledge is a new effort to help our conference put our differences aside and come together. I’m urging all my colleagues to join this pledge so we can move forward with electing a Speaker and get on with the people’s business.”

The signatory would pledge to “support the Speaker Designate duly elected by the House Republican Conference—regardless of who that candidate is—when their election proceeds to the House Floor” and “pledge to vote for the Speaker Designate on the House Floor for as long as they remain the Speaker Designate.”

As the nine-way race heats up, a number of lawmakers are starting to take sides — and some are backing their home-state colleagues.

In addition to McCarthy, Emmer has endorsements from Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Pete Stauber (Minn.) and Brad Finstad (R-Minn.). Donalds has secured backing from Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.). And a quartet of GOP Michigan lawmakers — Reps. Tim Walberg, John James, John Moolenaar and Lisa McClain — all threw their support behind Bergman.

Congress considers supplemental request as Israel, Ukraine wars continue

Lawmakers in both chambers this week will weigh in on the White House’s roughly $100 billion supplemental request, which was unveiled Friday.

The package includes roughly $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel’s defense, almost $14 billion for personnel and operations at the U.S.-Mexico border, $10 billion in humanitarian aid and $2 billion for Indo-Pacific security assistance.

The request comes as wars in Israel and Ukraine continue, and a record number of migrants are seen at the southern border.

The supplemental, however, is already receiving an icy reception among some lawmakers.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called the package “dead on arrival,” and House Republicans have opposed sending additional aid to Ukraine.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for their parts, have called for quick action on the funding request.

But the lack of a Speaker in the House could stall that process; without a Speaker, the House is unable to conduct legislative business.

McConnell spoke to that dynamic Sunday.

“I hope they can get a Speaker sometime soon, because it does send a — I think a poor message to our allies and our enemies around the world. And we also have work to do. We have appropriation bills to pass. We have the supplemental to deal with. So, I’m pulling for them to finally wrap this up sometime soon,” McConnell told “Fox News Sunday.”

Senate nears deal on minibus

The Senate is nearing an amendment agreement for the chamber’s minibus appropriations bill, which could unlock the package for consideration. The minibus includes legislation funding military construction and the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.

On Thursday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said he reached a deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on an amendment that would allow military veterans whose finances go into conservatorship to keep their firearms.

Kennedy had sought to get a vote on his amendment — an effort that held up consideration of the minibus — but Schumer previously called it a “poison pill.”

But Kennedy agreed to modify the language, and he now expects to receive a vote on the proposal. Because of that, he said he will allow the minibus to proceed for consideration.

Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday, after news broke of the Kennedy deal, said she thinks the chamber is “very close” to settling the minibus issue.

“We resolved one major issue this morning and we have one final issue that I think we’re very close to resolving,” Collins said.

Al Weaver contributed.